Draft-equalizer.



A. M. BEST.

DRAFT EQUALIZERr APPLICATlON FILED DEC. 10. 1915. RENEWED AUG. 21, 1917.

1,2432%. Patented 06:. 16,1917.

. ,WZ Q'Z 9 Q] 73 2 ,of Iowa,

any required size invention in any manner "Amines B ST, oFsrrnnBY, Iowa.

bRAFT-EQUALIZER.

Application filed December 1915,

Be it known that I, ARTHUR Biis'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shelby, in the county of Shelby and State have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drafts-Equalizers, of which the following is a speei'fieafiidnfi This invention relates'to improvements in draft equalizers, andhas for one ejfns'objects to provide a device of this character which may be readily adapted without strut tural changefor three horses, five horses, or S1X horses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character including a swinging support to which the draft appliances are coupled so arranged that the swinging support and its attachments may be folded back to occupy less space when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character of improved construction and increased efficiency.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved device arranged for six horses;

Fig. 2 is arear elevation of a portion of the improved device illustrating the construction of the clevis portion of the device;

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the clevis portion of the device;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the arrangement of the device for five horses;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 4 illustrating the device arranged for three horses.

The improved device comprises a main evener beam 10, preferably of wood and of or length, but which will. generally be about five and one-half feet in length, but it is not desired to limit the in this respect.

The evener beam 10 is provided with a plurality of apertures designated by the characters 11-12-13 and 14, the apertures 11-12 being located relatively near one end of the beam and the apertures 13-14 relatively near the opposite end, of the beam,

s ecification of Letters Patent.

'saia 66,158.

cured at 19' to the straps. ,,perforated I receive a pin 20, and

- PatentedYOct. 16, 191 7 iienwa 'Aif us'r 21', i917. sea at. 137,483. I

the object of the apertures to be hereafter scri l- Attached to the beam '10 at one end is a clevis device comprising straps 15-16 "bearing upon the upper and lower faces of the beam and projecting beyond one end i there- The strapsare preferably arranged ob1i que1 to the longitudinal axi of 'thejfbeam and riveted o'r-"otherwise secured of, asshown.

at one'end, as represented at17, to thebeam.

Bearingover the rear end of the beam 10 is-a clipdevice 1'8 riveted or otherwise. se-

The straps are at their outer extended ends to v mounted to swingnpon the pin between the terminals of the strap is a yoke or hanger device 21, the latter being preferably formed of a single strip bent upon itself and mounted to swing at its bend upon the pin. Connected between the sides of the yoke 21 is an endless guard 22, and pivoted at 23' through the guard device 22 and the sides of the yoke 21 is a chain pulley 24. connecting clip 18 and a swinging hanger for the chain pulley constitute a support for the draft appliances which may be turned back upon the pivot 17 to occupy less space when not in use, or when the device is being shipped or stored. A section of chain 25 extends over the pulley 24 and is connected at one end to a double tree 26 and at the other end to a rod 27 The double tree 26 carries the usual swingletree 28. The rod 27 is of suflicient length to extend between'thehorses which are hitched to the swingletrees 28 and in advance of the same and coupled at 29 to another double tree 30, the latter having swingletrees 31 of the usual construction. rangement it will be obvious By this arthat one team may be hitched to the swingletrees 28 and double tree 33 is conto equalize the leverage between the teams.

7 When the device is to be employed. for five horses the four horses are connected in the 7 same manner as shown in Fig. 1, while the clevis 35' is connected to the aperture 11" and a swingletree 36 connected by a clevis 37 to the aperture. 14:, the removal of the i stancethe double tree 26 with its swingletrees 28 will. be connected. directly to. the

main clev-is device, preferably by' discardingthe'rod. 27' and utilizing the chain 25 to couple a the double tree 26 directly to the pulley 24:.- The olevis 37 is then transferred to the aperture 13 while the 'clevis' '35 is connected to the'ap'e'rture 12. By this'means the draft is equalized between the teams. The improved device is simple in con- 7 Copies of this patent may be" obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner wre- 1 struction, can be inexpensively manufactured and adapted without structural change to any required'number of draft animals, and may be thus employed for operating gang plows, harvesters, and thelike.

Having thus described the invention, what isclaimed as new is In a draft equalizer, an evener beam, a clevis'device including straps engaging the upper and lower faces of said beam and pivoted at their inner ends thereto, said straps extending beyond one end of the beam and free to swing over the rear face of the same, a clip device bearing around 'oneedge of'rthe beam and connected to said straps and limiting the movement in one direction, and means'for connecting draft appliances to said clevls device.

In testlmonywhereof, Iaffixmy s1gna- ARTHUR M. BEST. the

of Patents.

Washington, D. C, 

